There’s no denying the fact that the material world has its demands on every individual in society, including teachers working at all levels of the educational hierarchy. If a teacher is denied financial security and independence and, in comparison to this, many individuals of the same society enjoy some such perks, there’s likely to be a social imbalance that furthers and contributes to the unrest and insecurity of the educational system. The same begins to prevail and be reflected in the psychological and sociopolitical behavior and conduct of society. In a secured financial status, the performance enhances the sociopolitical milieu of the whole nation.
It has been observed that the same financial insecurity has forced the teachers to look for chances to raise their income. Some have been forced to establish side businesses and private tuition services and run from pillar to post to generate extra sources of money to provide sufficiently for their family and dependents. This affects both the quality and quantity of work negatively. The quality of health and vigor, much needed for effective performance in the educational workplace, is impaired, and the results are poor. Many have bidden goodbye to teaching to opt for greener pastures, and so the quality of minds in teaching is rapidly decreasing, which is putting a huge strain on the performance of education.
The same is particularly the case with the expertise of the teacher when he is required to do odd jobs to fit into the system. He finds no opportunity to specialize and to expand on the area in which he has worked. Dealing with multiple administrative, social, and political duties to raise his income proves a big hurdle in raising his expertise. Most of the teaching faculty is a jack of many educational trades but a master of none. In such a situation, the certainty of quality in education is not more than a dream.
We are living in an age when resources are already depleting, and a huge imbalance is occurring between the available resources and the number of people to be fed, clothed, and provided for their material needs. If teachers are deprived of financial security, it can damage the social setup beyond limits and leave no space for repair and rectification. In the name of security and justice, there’s an enormous allocation of services, which has resulted in quality performance because of financial security and independence. In the sector where the future is being made and trained, we are bent on causing unrest and insecurity.
This absence of a level playing field for the teachers caused by some incapable and business-mongering managers is in no way a path to human progress. In the developed world, the teaching sector is the strongest of all, and the state makes sure of it. The teacher in such societies remains busy strengthening and engaging his educational skills and strategies. He constantly engages himself with the latest developments in his area and contributes significantly to its research activities.
This has helped such societies to achieve a significantly higher level of knowledge economy. Most of the third-world and postcolonial countries have failed to achieve this level and don’t have the tools to move towards the 1st world for knowledge and information. If the current scenario of financial constraints persists, and the ruling elite never mends its ways, the people and teaching system of such states will never be able to rise up to the minimum required levels.
In fact, this is the core issue and a burning cauldron of third-world countries. The ruling elite of such countries is unable to understand the gravity of the situation and is busy securing the rule and power at every cost. Most of them attempt to run the country like a business or a shop where the only motive is personal gains. In such a situation, the development of a happy, healthy, sane, sage, civilized, and cultured nation is just a dream. This model of a nation has been achieved only in societies where teachers are financially secure and are concentrating on their duties to make their people great.
Ironically, almost every new tax and financial straight-jacketing is the teacher’s lot. There are no possible exemptions from the financial atrocities and cruelties. There are no social security and extra privileges for teachers in such societies as Pakistan, where the teacher is considered no more than a laborer of education, and education is believed to be an industry meant to secure the benefit of the capitalist.
We are experiencing a rapidly increasing death of capable teaching because either the teachers are moving to greener pastures of the developed world or are opting for more lucrative businesses in Pakistan. Satisfied Pakistani teachers abroad are earning a name and fame and are providing healthful input to the societies there, which proves they are capable of doing any task of creating a knowledge economy if they are financially secure.
The same can be done in Pakistan; rather, it must be done if we have a little concern for our future generations. It is feared that if some such drastic measures are not taken to secure the financial security of teachers in Pakistan, we will only be a nation of uncontrolled horde going our wayward paths to give a look of some cave age society.
- Right of the Might! - 26/12/2023
- Teachers and Financial Independence - 13/12/2023
